Spectral evidence

New unnamed sounds from the mind of CJ Larsgården (Pacta, A Perfect Friend, Ondo). A work in progress.

Forest City - Heaven her

Forest City = Carl-Johan Larsgården (Pacta/A Perfect Friend/Ondo), Thomas Jonsson (A Perfect Friend/I'm Kingfisher) and Christophe Bailleau.

Top tens for 2010: Thomas Denver Jonsson/I'm Kingfisher

New LP from Yrsel in October

Yrsel, the doom collaboration between CJ Larsgården (Pacta/A Perfect Friend/Ondo) and Frenchman Julian Louvet (The Austrasian Goat), will be releasing the new LP "Sacrifice" in October via Aurora Borealis. Vinyl-only, 350 copies; more info and samples here: http://www.aurora-b.com/band_pages/YRSEL

November Clubnight revised

Slight change of plans! Mr. Björn Kleinhenz has (wisely) decided that he'd prefer to take some time off following his month-long solo tour, so he's opted to sit out our upcoming Clubnight in November. Instead, The Topeka Twins' other half Thomas Denver Jonsson will perform with his other duo A Perfect Friend which consists of him and yet another IAT.MP3 alumnus, C-J Larsgården of (Pacta/Pacta Sunt Servanda). See you there?

A Perfect Friend signs with Knoppar

A Perfect Friend (Thomas Denver Jonsson + Pacta/Ondo) has signed with Knoppar (Hajen, Tvärvägen) for the release of their sophomore album "Timber and modern ways". No date yet, but expect a release late this year.

Two new releases on Tuguska

Tuguska Label has two new releases out now, one is a new full-length from ambient doom act Ondo called "Regression", the second is a split featuring Larsgarden (aka C-J Larsgården of Pacta/Ondo) and Rowenta. Details: http://www.pactasuntservanda.se/tuguska.html

New Ondo in May

Look for a new limited edition CDr release from IAT.MP3 artist Pacta doom alias Ondo in May entitled "Regression".

MP3: Pacta - Sketch

Of all the various artists I've worked with through my netlabel, Pacta (nee Sunt Servanda) has been the sleeper. His "A trap it is" EP is a fantastic example of elegant ambient/experimental music and his more recent work continues solidly along the same path, whether or not you decide to pay attention. What I like best about it is that it's never noise for noise's sake -- there's always a faint melody or at least some sort of melodic component that gives the music weight and balance. And the ingredients are often simple, too, the layers don't go too deep as to overwhelm. "Sketch" from his latest 3" CD "Fragments" inherits the qualities of both titles: small bursts of sound are set upon the landscape and made to dance, flutter and spin. They overlap and swirl around, but never collide. Eventually a singsong tune emerges, but it's easy to miss if you don't follow as it gets passed from tone to tone, or from player to player in an orchestral sense. I can almost imagine it being performed on more traditional instruments actually - now that would be something to hear.

Pacta - Sketch

Sirius playlist week #3

Here's the playlist for this week's radio show on Sirius XMU:

01. Dyno - Don't speak love
02. TALK 1
03. Regina - Totuus minusta
04. Joenssu 1685 - Kill/shot/love
05. They Live - Magic glasses
06. TALK 2
07. Viola - We owe love
08. Orchestra Senza Tensta - The red elephant battles the bear
09. Livaventura - 2 out of nothing
10. TALK 3
11. Halph - Cheap points
12. Pacta - Sille
13. Scraps of Tape - Bring the heavy
14. TALK 4
15. Anssi 800 & Maria Stereo - Zion king
16. The Scrags - Psycho cyclone
17. Samtidigt Som - Vid mid sida
18. TALK 5
19. Seance - Wasted

Reminder: my show airs every week on Sundays and Mondays at 11pm ET on Sirius XMU. That's channel 26 on Sirius, 43 on XM and 831 for DirecTV subscribers.

IAT.MP3 artist Pacta (nee Pacta Sunt Servanda) has a new track on myspace: http://www.myspace.com/pactasuntservanda

The prolific C-J Larsgården (IAT.MP3 act Pacta Sunt Servanda aka Pacta, Ondo, A Perfect Friend, Misto, etc.) has a new rock band project called Morgan Kane. Check it: http://www.myspace.com/themorgankanes

MP3: Ondo - Sleep

In a feat of synchronicity, I received news albums from both Thomas Denver Jonsson and Ondo on the same day last week. The two are world's apart on the surface, but I know better as Ondo is the ambient/doom alias of C-J Larsgården from Pacta/Pacta Sunt Servanda and together with Jonsson, they perform as the duo A Perfect Friend. Considering how different their individual music is, it's amazing that they are able to find common ground, but certainly not unfathomable as I certainly enjoy both artists on their own. Ondo is easily the more difficult of the pair as his subterranean doom music lacks any sort of pop hooks. Instead, you get brooding darkness and evil; a beat-less, black cloud of ambiance. We've had some beautiful weather out here on the West Coast, especially here in SF where I'm situated this week, but Ondo sucks the light out of even the brightest day. To me, that's a high compliment. To conjure that level of heaviness with pure atmosphere is an intense achievement.

Ondo - Sleep

Swedish doom/drone act (and A Perfect Friend/Pacta sideproject) Ondo has a new 3" CD out on upstart label Tuguska: http://blog.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=blog.view&friendID=124662689&blogID=360369836

A Perfect Friend, the dronepop duo of Thomas Denver Jonsson and CJ Larsgården (Pacta, Ondo), is putting out a new outtakes EP called "Graduation day" to tide people over until the eventual release of their sophomore album "Timber and modern ways". Tracklist and other details here: http://www.thomasdenver.com/e-record.htm#graduation